Healthwise

Studies show overweight adults who eat two eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight (and felt more energetic) than those who started the morning with a bagel of equal calories.

Other research has revealed that people who regularly eat eggs consume 300 fewer calories per day, which translates to a weight loss of three pounds per month.

Eggs help moderate blood sugar levels, are full of nutrients and provide energy-boosting protein. Finding a source of “true” range free eggs can be a problem if you live in the city. We get ours from a neighbor. When we drive in their yard, we have to go slow otherwise we might run over one of their chickens. For a change of pace and to help take some of the pressure off your morning, why not have them for lunch or dinner instead.

Fermented foods boost friendly gut bacteria.

We have two basic types of bacteria in our gut, the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys bacteria causes all kinds of problems and diseases. The friendly, good guys bacteria has been proven to enhance digestion, speed up weight loss and boost immunity.

Fermented foods are high in good guys bacteria and have been proven to boost gut health. Hundreds of studies have found that gut health, or lack of it, has a large impact on overall health and wellness.

One of the more common and well known fermented foods in sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is rich in vitamins and potassium and has a measly 27 calories per serving. You can add it to your sandwich, eat it as a side dish or put it on a baked potato instead of an artificial topping or sour cream that has a list of ingredients you cannot pronounce.

If you have a snack attack, why not make it a healthy one?

When you have that irresistible urge to stuff your face, if you eat nuts instead of sweets or processed foods like potatoes chips, you are far less likely to follow the snack with a belt busting meal. Most sugar laden snacks and highly processed fast foods are formulated to make you want to eat more and more and more.

Ten almonds contain 70 calories, lots of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Almonds are very low in fat per ounce and high in protein. All nuts are high in fiber and an excellent on the go snack.

Walnuts tip the calorie scale at 260 calories per 10 nuts. Walnuts have been shown to have cancer fighting properties, to contribute to heart health, are high in antioxidants, are brain health friendly, help you lose weight and the beneficial dietary fat in walnuts has been shown to improve metabolic parameters in people with type 2 diabetes.

Wait, there is more to walnuts.

A lot of people remove the whitish outermost layer of a shelled walnut because it has a bitter flavor. About 90 percent of the antioxidants in walnuts are found in the skin, making it one of the healthiest part of the nut.

Try to find a supplier or small producer who does not irradiate or pasteurize their nuts. The FDA requires large processors to “pasteurize” their almonds and they do that with a chemical that was outlawed for use in drag racing.

It was found to be a carcinogen and to explosive to be safe even in fuel burning dragsters. Small producers are not required to use these nutrient robbing and chemically dangerous processes.

Larry R. Miller has been a freelance writer and photographer since 1982.